The Israeli Defense Force recovered the body of a hostage taken by the militant group Islamic Jihad on Saturday, during an overnight raid of the Gaza Strip.

The hostage was identified as Elad Katzir, who was taken as a hostage during the Oct. 7 massacre, alongside his mother, who was released on Nov. 24. His father was killed by the militant group in an attack on a kibbutz on Oct. 7. 

“The body of hostage Elad Katzir was rescued by security forces overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a post to X. “Our mission since the beginning of the war has been, and remains, to locate and bring the hostages home. We will continue to operate until it is complete.”

The defense force said it believes Katzir was killed by the group while in captivity, but the cause of his death was not revealed. Katzir had previously been seen in a video from IJ in December, where he pleaded for his release. 

Katzir’s sister Carmit Katzir said she found comfort in the return of her brother’s body, but slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF for not securing her brother’s release in a hostage exchange. 

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“He could have been saved if a deal was reached in time,” Carmit Katzir wrote in a Facebook post, according to NBC News. “Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations and that is why it did not happen.”

The recovery of Katzir’s body comes as Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas indicate they will resume negotiations for a hostage exchange, and temporary ceasefire, in Cairo, Egypt. Hamas and IJ still have approximately 130 hostages in Gaza.